San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-08-11
What Caused the Failure OF Our Chan'
tauoua Last Yeari

lowing passage;
Last year. owing to want Of activity ON
the part Of the general management, mis-,
takes of those who were allowed to control
and general business depression, the SEES
sion of tho assembly, briefly told, was o
| failure
| We do not however concur with the ores
set that the Assembly last year was an entire
failure, but il was such to considerable de-
gree; and the passage quoted will serve as
text for IN inquiry which We propose TO
make as to the causes which led to this par
tial failure, aud these will be found some-
what different from those stated by the
Cresset. The first session was, considering
that the movement had but just been in
augurated and other uufavorable e'rcum-
stances, fair success. and it only needed,
as il seems to us, II proper following out OF
the original aud true idea of the institution
IN have made il far more successful last
year.
THE FIRST GREAT MISTAKE.
What was this idea? The founding OF
an outdoor school of science, literature,
morals and unsectaran Christianity, after
the model of that famous similar institution
nj Chautuaua. New York. Was this idea
earnestly realized or acted upon here we
regret to say it WINS not In the first place
the intellectual part of the plan was soon
pretty much ignored. One would naturally
have supposed that that would have entered
into and given tone to the social entertain
ments of tho town; that the Students Union
would have been the nucleus of its chief
social gatherings Not so, however. After
very brief career, the Union was wholly
ignored and lost sight of. The books pre-
scribed by the Assembly remained unread
save by very few individuals, while the
society of this place ran into frivolous and
unintellectual channels. The Assembly left
no perceptibe impress or influence on the
town, not through fault of its management,
but because the people simply ignored It's
directions aud seemed to look forward to
its next meeting, rs sort OF mere
social pastime. 1t seemed to have been
very generally lost sight of that the objects
and exercises of the Assembly meant brain
work quite as much as is expected in n
Teachers Institute. For the absence of this
THE DUDE ELEMENT,
which some two years since undertook TO
run and rule the town, was largely respons-
ible. Anything like thought or study af-
fccted its feeble brain unplcasantly, and
hence was avoided as much as possible.
The Mandy -pambyisms and silly nothings OF
a certain class of society were carefully aped.
Games, which to say the best of them have
no higher aim than to kill time, were af-
fected the cultivation of the heels rather
than the head favored. Thus the time and
attention of many who should have been
following the course provided by the AS
sembly were foolishly frittered away Final
ly appeared on the scene
J 1.-THE CHAUTAUoUA GUARDS"
/ as the full flower of all this mental vacuity.
Save in it's name, not the remotest connec-
ton could be traced between this body and
the Assembly. Yet for n time they were
all the rage" Their harlequin garb as
they appeared on the streets was the grand
attraction of the season. The Assembly
came to be looked upon only at a sort OF
"side show" by their intelligent following.
Meantime the date for the second session
of the Assembly arrived. The circum-
stances n, peared to be most suspicious 1t
Ind Just been preceded by session of the
State Normal School, represented by over a
hundred of the leading teachers of the
State, and giving q congenial educational
favor to the atmosphere. This was fol
lowed by session of the State Sunday
School Convention. Both these gather
ings were in direct line with the true pur-
pose of the Assembly. Their favorable in
fuence, however, was spoiled by
A GREAT BLUNDER
of the management right in the start. The
opening address was devoted to q cranky
criticism of our public school system as de-
vised by the fathers and founders of the
United States and the Republic and State
of Texas, which was denounced by the
speaker as the handmade of vice and ir-
religion. This address was followed by
others of q similar tenor. That this course
was a mistake we have the high authority
of DIR. Attieus G. Haygood, who in recent
letter said
A few church people denounce the public
school. This is folly, and worse-it places
them on the wrong side.
A more unwise and suicidal blunder in
fact could scarcely have been made, and we
hope never to see it repeated. Whatever
may be the shortcomings of our public
school system, there is no sense in our AS
sembly antagonizing it. 1t should rather
seek it's cooperation as far as may be, for
both clearly have, to large extent, the
same ends in view However, the last SEES
sion of the Assembly might have recovered
from the bad consequences of this blunder,
hnd it not been for a serious diversion (un-
intentional we presume) against it at home.
HOW THE CHAUTAUQUA GUARDS GUARDED
CHAUTAUQUA.
It had scarcely got under way before the
Chautauqua Guards in full force concluded
they must visit Galveston during the inter
state drill and astonish military circles on
that occasion. They accordingly went.
This would not have made so much differ
ence, had they not drawn after them about
one hundred more of our admiring people.
/ Thev were absent some ten DAYS or two